Tuesday, December 8, 2015

The Fireside Lodge of the William Tell Holiday Inn in Countryside, Illinois was the perfect setting for a Holiday themed Wine and Food Fall Gala that featured area's best chefs paired with wine and spirits from the top producers around the world. All of the "big guns" of the wine world were on hand, including Nicolas Feuillatte Brut NV Champagne ($34.99), Terlato Family Pinot Grigio from Friuli, Italy (($19.99), Fess Parker Chardonnay from California's Santa Barbara County ($16.99), Davis Bynum's eponymous 2013 Pinot Noir ($32.99), and the outstanding 2012 Vina Robles Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles, California ($22.99), Palazzo Della Torre from Allegrini in Italy ($19).

Top chefs paired their most sumptuous specialties with the wines, giving patrons a plethora of new ideas to grace the Holiday Table with standard items giving way to ethnic favorites prepared and served with a holiday twist. Chef Chen Villalobos of Cafe Salsa in Countryside prepared a variety of freshly made tacos, featuring flavors of Chicken Limon and Camarones A La Diabla (sauteed garlic shrimp in a spicy chipotle cream sauce), Natalie Espinosa of Bella Banquets set out a smorgasbord of Italian American favorites, Taste of Home Catering shared its opulent dessert display, as did TONI Patisserie and Cafe. La Buona Vita of LaGrange presented an array of Italian Antipasti and Emilio's Tapas of Hillside and Chicago served Spanish delights. Among the visiting winemakers was Elio Pisoni of the Pisoni Winery of Trentino, Italy and Marco Firriato from the Firriato Winery of Sicily's Mount Etna region. The international flavors abounded and gave attendees plenty of fresh ideas for enlivening their holiday meals with festive new offerings from around the globe.

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About Me

Dwight The Wine Doctor is a Certified Sommelier. He has covered VinItaly in Verona,Italy for the past several years, and was a judge for both the 2012 and 2013 International Wine Competition in Verona. He has also covered the London Wine Fair, Aspen Wine and Food Classic, New Orleans Wine Experience,South Beach and New York Wine and Food Festivals, Sonoma Wine Country Weekend and the Landmark Tutorial in Barossa Valley near Adelaide, Australia. His travels have also taken him to Marrakech, Morocco and Galway, Ireland. In addition to being a wine writer, he is a connoisseur and reviewer of the fine arts, including reviews of the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera and Lyric Opera in Chicago.His wide-ranging reviews also include Jazz At Lincoln Center, American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey Dance and Art Basel Miami.